Derek welcomes Adrien Zakar, assistant professor of history at the University of Toronto and co-host of the virtual lecture series Technologies of Power, to discuss the response in Syria to the recent earthquake in Turkey which affected the former’s northwestern region. They cover Syria’s current political situation, what it means for opposition- and Turkish-controlled enclaves regarding relief efforts, the role of sanctions, what this all means for Syrian refugees at home and abroad, and more.
So I might be misunderstanding this (and if I am please tell me) but it seems like this guest was very insistent in saying that lifting sanctions and/or engaging diplomatically with Assad for the purpose of facilitating earthquake relief was not worth the risk of relegitimizing his government. Have I got that right, or is there something I’m missing?
I believe at one point he says "from the perspective of these [rebel- and Turkish-held] enclaves" it would be bad to lift the sanctions, but I don't recall him saying he believes that outright.
Alright, thanks for clarifying. On the whole I thought it was a really good episode. It just seemed like he came back to that point multiple times, and I just couldn’t get that bit unstuck from my brain.
I totally hear you— I could be wrong. When I'm editing an episode, I absorb, like, half of what's being said since I'm listening for pacing and such. He's on Twitter @adrienzakar , I'm sure he'd be happy to clarify the point for you. I just don't know where he personally stands on that.
Always great program! very informative.
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Great episode, great guest.
So I might be misunderstanding this (and if I am please tell me) but it seems like this guest was very insistent in saying that lifting sanctions and/or engaging diplomatically with Assad for the purpose of facilitating earthquake relief was not worth the risk of relegitimizing his government. Have I got that right, or is there something I’m missing?
I believe at one point he says "from the perspective of these [rebel- and Turkish-held] enclaves" it would be bad to lift the sanctions, but I don't recall him saying he believes that outright.
Alright, thanks for clarifying. On the whole I thought it was a really good episode. It just seemed like he came back to that point multiple times, and I just couldn’t get that bit unstuck from my brain.
I totally hear you— I could be wrong. When I'm editing an episode, I absorb, like, half of what's being said since I'm listening for pacing and such. He's on Twitter @adrienzakar , I'm sure he'd be happy to clarify the point for you. I just don't know where he personally stands on that.